NaNoWriMo 2016 – Day 12
R. B. Wood
Ending Day Word Count Total: 25,017
Well, not the end of the writing day, but I’m at a good stopping point on The Empress’ Curse. About to start chapter 11 and that will be a wild ride to finish out Act One. See, I’m about to wreck a train.
The connotation and denotation of that sentence is deliciously apparent to me.
This evening, I have some work to do on my as of yet untitled Humans Wanted anthology submission–its nice to be putting together a SciFi short story for a change. Whether it’s accepted or not–well, I need to get it in before 31 December before I can think about that. I also have a Skype session about my co-authored Steampunk heist story with the most talented Emmett Spain. And we have a working title already that we’ll release when we are a bit further along. That has a deadline of 31 December as well.
Busy-busy. But here is a bit from today’s work Enjoy and be at peace…
Again, I saw the seven towers. I entered the middle one, but at a run this time. I took the stairs two at a time, reaching the ornate brass entryway. I grabbed at the massive, dragon-shapped handles and threw the doors open. They swung silently, effortlessly. The first thing I saw was a fireplace, in it a log–it was nearly three feet around and eight feet long, is it still called a log at that point–crackled and hissed, bathing the room in light and warmth. A black stone floor (polished to the point that it resembled the still surface of a lake) reflected the flames.
By the giant hearth stood a man in simple, grey linen robes, his back to me.
“It’s been a while Symon. I’ve missed you. Shall we continue your lessons?”
The man turned around and I recognized, for the first time, that it was a young Eugene McGuire; former Cardinal and late head of the Pontifical order of the Magi.
“You’re dead.”
“How very observant of you,” the young man smiled. “Being dead doesn’t necessary mean I can’t teach you anything, though. Come. Join my other pupil,” he said.
